In his â€œState of the Stateâ€ address, Gov. Jack Markell, like President Obama and many other governors, is faced with a financial and economic crisis that has not been experienced since the Great Depression: â€œOur state government also faces a challenge: the largest budget shortfall in our stateâ€™s history, almost $780 million and growing. Together, we must balance our budget; we must live within our means. We must keep our governmentâ€™s core commitments, such as protecting the health and safety of our families, fostering the growth of our economy and protecting the quality of our air and water. We must give every child an opportunity to succeed and assist our senior citizens and those with disabilities.

by Dr. Marcia Angell

The Senate Finance Committee’s hearings on health reform earlier this month did not include testimony from any advocate for single-payer insurance. Physicians for a National Health Program, which represents 16,000 doctors, asked the committee to invite me to testify, but it chose not to. If I had been invited, this is what I would have said: